There was no immediate claim of responsibility for the bombs, but they bore the hallmarks of Boko Haram, an Islamic extremist group that has been waging a bombing campaign in Africa’s most populous nation.

Coordinator Mohammed Abdulsalam of the National Emergency Management Agency says fires are still raging in buildings and he expects to find more bodies when firefighters get them under control.

Tensions have been rising between Christians and Muslims in Jos, the capital of Plateau state in Nigeria’s Middle Belt region that divides the country into the predominantly Muslim north and Christian south. It is a flashpoint for religious violence.

President Goodluck Jonathan condemned the attacks and said he remains “fully committed to winning the war against terror.” Outrage continues to grow over his government’s apparent inability to do that.